The Denver Broncos will visit the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. To help preview the matchup, Aric DiLalla of DenverBroncos.com and John Pullano of NYJets.com chatted about the game.
What is your favorite matchup?
AD: I'm eager to watch Pat Surtain II go up against Garrett Wilson, no matter how many snaps they end up facing off. Surtain has shadowed receivers to various degrees through the first three weeks, and in Week 3 he traveled with Tampa Bay's Mike Evans for 24-of-32 snaps. On those snaps, Surtain held Evans to 8 yards on 1 reception and 1 target. Surtain spoke highly of Wilson this week, and he's clearly one of Aaron Rodgers' favorite targets. I'll be interested to see if Surtain can minimize him and force Rodgers to look elsewhere.
JP: I am keen on seeing the chess match between Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and QB Aaron Rodgers. It is not a secret that Denver likes to blitz. Over the first 3 weeks, Denver leads the NFL in blitz rate per drop back (45.7%). It's paid off. The Broncos are tied for fifth in the league in sacks and in their win over the previously unbeaten Buccaneers last week brought down QB Baker Mayfield seven times. Rodgers, on the other hand, is statistically, one of the greatest signal callers against the best in NFL history. In Week 3, New England employed a blitz-heavy approach sending pressure on 40% of his dropbacks and Rodgers completed 11-of-15 passes against the extra rusher for 129 yards and 2 touchdowns. Since 2019, Rodgers, when blitzed, has completed 71% of his passes for 5,658 yards, 54 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. It will be interesting to see if the Broncos move away from his normal defensive approach to counter Rodgers' strengths or sticks to his hallmark scheme.
The Broncos picked up their first win last Sunday and rookie QB Bo Nix played the best game of his young career. What was the catalyst for to Denver's offense ? And how do think they will be fare against the Jets' surging defense, led by their No. 5-ranked pass defense?
AD: Bo Nix has made strides each week, and his Week 3 performance against Tampa Bay was the latest step. He pushed the ball down the field better than in each of the first two weeks, he avoided turnovers and taking sacks for the first time in his NFL career. Nix showed an ability to get the ball out quickly and accurately, and he'll need to do the same against the Jets to find success. An underrated part of Nix's game is his mobility, and he picked up several first downs running against Tampa Bay. For the Broncos' offense to find success, Nix may need to be a dual-threat again.
JP: Watching from afar, it appeared the Broncos offense found its rhythm against the Buccaneers. Denver ran the ball well (28 carries for 136 yards and 2 TDs) and, as a result, were able to use play action. In the victory over Tampa Bay, QB Bo Nix completed 7-of-10 passes for 76 yards on dropbacks when they used play action. Denver will need contributions in the run game again to crack the Jets defense, which is coming off a dominant performance (139 total yards allowed) versus New England. After allowing 180 yards rushing and 32 points to the 49ers in Week 1, the Jets defense has allowed 105 per game and 10 points per game the last two weeks. Slowing the run and forcing Denver's rookie signal caller to beat the Jets pass defense, which ranks No. 4 in passing yards allowed (209.6) and passing touchdowns (1).
See the Jets back on the practice field to kickoff practice for Week 4 against the Denver Broncos.
The Denver defense got after Bucs QB Baker Mayfield last Sunday with 7 sacks, while the Jets' offense is operating at an historic rate , converting 56.8% of their third downs and scoring TDs on 75% of their red zone trips. How do you expect Denver's defense to perform opposite the league's most veteran QB in Aaron Rodgers?
AD: There's a lot of respect for what Aaron Rodgers has done so far this season, and Broncos head coach Sean Payton said he looks like "the quarterback we all remember." One of the Broncos' focuses will be on Rodgers' ability to draw the opposition offside and then hit a deep pass on the free play. When the Broncos played Rodgers in Green Bay in 2019, he notched an early touchdown in that fashion and it swung the momentum. The Broncos have been one of the top defenses so far this season, but they'll need to slow Breece Hall to try to put Rodgers & Co. in longer downs and distances. Without captain Alex Singleton — who tore his ACL against the Bucs — that becomes more difficult, but the Broncos believe they can uphold the same standard even in his absence.
JP: What impressed me most about the Jets offense against the Patriots in Week 3 were the contributions they were able to get from a variety of players. Last Thursday, 8 players had at least 2 receptions for the Green & White and TE Tyler Conklin led all receiver with 5 receptions for 93 yards. Denver's secondary, headlined by All-Pro CB Pat Surtain II, has allowed the second-fewest passing yards in the NFL (579) and third-fewest touchdowns (3). Surtain versus Jets star WR Garrett Wilson will be the matchup to watch on the outside, but I believe the game will be decided again by the success of the Jets' entire receiving group.
